Pieces of a Puzzle
by Exploring Universes
Summary: Azula is quite a mystery. In order to have any hope for her, Zuko and those close to him are going to have to confront the past and tie it to the present. Rated M for some swearing, physical violence, and mature humor.
1. Prologue

Pieces of a Puzzle

Disclaimer/Foreword: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any way. I have tried hard to remain as true to the ATLA universe as possible (including insight given by the creators themselves in interviews), while also being creative. I hope you enjoy!

Also, please do let me know in your reviews if this seems realistic enough to the series!

Prologue

_I gotta get up… help Katara… _

Zuko groaned as he lay dazed and wounded in the center of the arena. The massive burn Azula's lightning left on his chest scorched like a thousand suns. He had witnessed Azula, in her crazed frenzy, sending Katara running for cover. He tossed and turned, trying to keep his eye on her while ignoring his searing pain.

Katara finally dashed towards him, only to rush away from a bolt of Azula's lightning that narrowly missed her.

"I'd really rather our family physician look after little Zuzu, if you don't mind," sneered Azula.

Katara ducked behind the columns of a nearby temple. Azula relentlessly pounded her with fire and lightning, stopping only for a few seconds.

"Zuzu, you don't look so good!" Azula taunted, with a pure menace that shook Zuko spine. Even after all his experience with his sister, she continually found new ways to really haunt him. Maybe that's just another reason why he constantly struggled with feelings of inferiority to her.

Zuko shut eyes, waiting for Azula to finish him off.

It didn't come.

_What is she-?_

Katara ran further away, and Azula pursued her by flying on fire.

After a few confusing seconds, Zuko reached his arm out. _Come… on…_

His arm fell to the ground, followed shortly by his head.

His chest continued to burn. He felt himself fading…

He had absolutely no idea if Katara could handle Azula alone. Had his sacrifice been in vain?

No, it couldn't have been. It couldn't end. Not like this.

"_Zuko…." _

Zuko looked up. That voice… he knew it. It was faint, but he would have recognized it anywhere and anytime. Could it really be…?

"M-mom?" he asked hoarsely.

A beautiful woman stood up. She looked so much like Azula, and yet her face was so much kinder, so much gentler. She smiled.

"Hang in there, Zuko. You will make it through this, I know it. Don't be afraid, my son, my sweet boy."

She blew him a kiss and reached out her hand.

"Mom!" called Zuko desperately. He reached out for her…

"There you are, you filthy peasant!"

Ursa vanished as Azula's triumphant call rang out. Zuko collapsed yet again. He couldn't believe he had fallen for a hallucination.

_Guess injuries to the head aren't the only things that'll give me delusions…_

Suddenly, silence swooped over Azula and Katara's battle area. Zuko hung his head. He had no idea what would happen.

Then, there was a huge sloshing sound, followed by Azula growling.

Zuko heard footsteps, and someone quickly turned around his body; he was relieved to see it was Katara.

Katara spread her hands over Zuko's chest, and soothed his burns with her soft healing water.

Zuko sighed in relief. He looked up at Katara with a faint smile.

"Thank you, Katara," he whispered softly.

Katara smiled and hung her head. She looked back up at him and blinked through her happy tears. "I'm the one who should be thanking you," she replied gratefully.

She offered him her hands and helped him back to his feet. No sooner had she done so than they turned at the sound of angry panting.

It was Azula. She struggling against her chains and breathing blue fire like a furious dragon.

A few seconds later, she lay spiraled on the ground, screaming and crying.

Zuko reeled back, but was quickly caught by Katara, who put one hand on his back and the other on his arm. She squeezed his arm gently as he solemnly watched the formerly magnificent princess, his little sister, descend into madness and despair.

Katara, pained and horrified, turned away, her arm remaining on Zuko's for comfort. His gaze remained locked on Azula until she finally passed out.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Zuko and Katara stood completely still in grim pity and utter silence for a few minutes, their eyes on Azula. Save for the slight wind, one could have heard a pin drop.

Katara finally looked at Zuko, and he turned to her.

"I can't believe this. All this time, I was so excited to put Azula in her place. I never would thought it would end like this," she said with a sad sigh.

Zuko lowered his head. "I knew would end badly from the start. No matter what she did, she still is my sister. An ugly outcome was inevitable."

Katara squeezed his shoulder. Zuko's expression was as serious as ever, but she had spent enough time with him to know that he was really conflicted and upset. She turned back to Azula. "What should we do with her?"

Zuko followed her gaze. He bit his lip, and turned away.

"I guess I should just leave her. I'll send someone for her later."

Katara hesitated, and then slowly nodded. They began to walk away.

Zuko watched as Katara moved to signal for Appa. Then something triggered in the back of his mind.

_His father mocking his pleas for mercy, in the arena of their Agni Kai, right before burning his face…_

_ Aang waking him up, having rescued him from being captured by Zhao's men after finding out he was the Blue Spirit…_

_ The Gaang pulling him out of the blizzard…_

_ Katara hugging Zuko and forgiving him… _

"No!" gasped Zuko. He panted for a few seconds.

"Zuko?" asked Katara worriedly.

"I can't do it," said Zuko. "I can't just abandon her in cold blood." He turned to her, and his face became considerably softer and sadder. "If I do, I'm no better than her… or my father."

Katara stared at him for a few seconds before nodding slightly. "Yeah," she replied. "I was just thinking the same thing regarding myself."

Zuko hadn't noticed until now that Katara had been rather conflicted about leaving Azula behind. As he was silently admonishing himself, big beams of red and blue light in the distance caught his and Katara's eyes.

It looked like the red would overpower the blue, but then the blue light fought back and finally prevailed. Faint sounds of cheering and awe echoed in the distance.

"It's Aang!" cried Katara happily. "He defeated your father, I just know it!"

Zuko looked off into the sky and smiled. He was so proud of Aang, and he had always believed in him. And though he wouldn't show it too easily, he was very happy for Aang and Katara. Not only had they both played a decisive role in bringing about this moment, but they had both survived, and could continue to be an important part of each other's lives.

He put a hand on Katara's shoulder. "You should go see him, Katara. I think it's important that you two see each other and know you're both ok."

Katara gave him a very touched smile. "Thank you, Zuko." Her expression melted as she turned to Azula, who was still completely silent and motionless. "What about you? Will you be ok with her?"

Zuko nodded. "I'll be fine," he stated determinedly. "I'm going to put her somewhere safe. She needs a lot of help, and I'm going to make sure she gets it."

Katara nodded, and signaled Appa. Zuko watched her climb atop the sky bison and fly away. Then he walked back to Azula.

She was a depressing sight indeed. Her face was still red and hot from tears, and her expression was still pinched, a mixture of rage, fear, and sadness.

He placed two fingers on her neck. Her pulse was a little faint, but it was nothing too serious. He used his intense fire to quickly melt her chains and cuffs, and then turned her on her back.

Zuko stared down at his little sister for a few seconds.

_ In some ways I may hate you, but you still are a part of me_, he thought to himself.

Then, inexplicably, he found his hand moving. His fingers stroked against her cheek and partially through her tousled hair-

He suddenly froze.

_Did I REALLY just do what I thought I did?_

Zuko stood stunned for a few seconds.

_Oh well, strange things happen, especially in situations you don't anticipate..._

Something he knew only too well from first-hand experience…

Zuko finally shrugged his thoughts off and got his act together. He picked up Azula, holding her tightly in his arms, and set off to get help.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Whew. They're not kidding when they say great responsibility comes with great power…. maybe I'm just too used to seeing tyrants in my position…_

Zuko pondered over his newly found title of Fire Lord as he walked to a meeting in his throne room with numerous advisors. It was a good thing he made a good first impression on the citizens of the four nations and enjoyed the short initial down time with his friends after the war ended, because within a few weeks he was now swamped with tasks.

Among other things, he had to withdraw Fire Nation troops all over the world, meet constantly for talks with the heads of the other nations, and instigate reforms within his own country to make its culture more tolerant, just, and peaceful. Not to mention he had quite a bitter opposition from certain groups of Fire Nation hardliners, such as disappointed generals and fanatical fire sages. Thankfully, however, his opponents composed an _extremely_ tiny minority, and thus were not a serious threat, just more of a nuisance. Still, they were a big reminder that his job would not be a walk by the pond.

Additionally, Zuko had three much more personal goals he had to squeeze in. The first was to rebuild his relationship with Mai. They loved each other dearly, but in light of recent events, they had decided to try to spend more time with one another and truly get a better idea of who they really were. Afterwards, they could become much more serious in their relationship.

The second was to search for his mother, Lady Ursa. She had been missing for six years, and she was constantly, at the very least, in the back of Zuko's mind. When he had interrogated his father Ozai as to her whereabouts, the disgraced ex-Fire Lord had only given him very vague clues pointing to the Earth Kingdom. His scouts sent him regular reports, but so far they had had no measure of success whatsoever.

Finally, there was the question of Azula. Zuko had placed her in an asylum on an island not too far from his palace; he felt way too sorry and attached to his little sister to execute or imprison her. The facility was quite advanced, and the staff very experienced and compassionate, but Azula still had difficulty adjusting to a rapid change in her life; Zuko had decided to wait to see her at least a month after she settled in. For the first few weeks, the personnel observing Azula reported daily that she threw constant fits of anger and irritability, and occasionally seemed to yell at apparent hallucinations of some woman (Zuko guessed it was Ursa) and cried in her sleep. The good news, though, was that staff would not let her do anything drastic, like starve herself, attempt suicide, or try to hurt other people (the facility had highly trained guards, some of whom could firebend). Zuko liked that; these people were nice, and yet that didn't mean they were pushovers.

After close to a month had passed, Azula became _much_ more quiet. She seemed to grudgingly resign herself to her place, but only enough to keep herself alive and somewhat healthy. She would not talk to her counselors unless they _really_ pressed her, and even then she only spit out a few bitter complaints and curses. Zuko knew this was a really ugly sign.

_I can't leave her there forever,_ he thought to himself. _I have to find some way to find closure with her. Otherwise, she'll just continue to haunt me, just like-_

Zuko stopped dead in his tracks.

_Just like Mother…_

Zuko shook his head. He would finally go to see his sister today, after this meeting. He stopped just outside the throne room, cleared his mind, and walked in.

* * *

><p>He left the throne room feeling a bit better. The military withdrawal was proceeding nicely, and the other nations were eager to find ways to reconcile their people with his. Plus, his followers had encountered no serious sabotage yet, so that was another big weight temporarily lifted on his back. He only hoped the day would not drop too low after he visited his sister…<p>

He made his way to the facility via a small ferry. The facility at least looked more like a hospital than a prison, and that image was reinforced as he greeted the head of the asylum, Dr. Cathka.

"Welcome, my Lord," the doctor said warmly with a bow. "I take it you are here to visit your sister?"

"Yes," replied Zuko. "It's about time I did, though I hope she won't become too… agitated by my presence."

Dr. Cathka's eyebrows raised above his glasses in concern. "Shall I send guards with you in case something happens?" he asked nervously.

"No, that won't be necessary," answered Zuko. His eyebrows narrowed to form a very serious expression. "I can handle her. Besides, this is something that is better accomplished between just the two of us."

"Very well. Let me show you to her room," said Dr. Cathka with a nod.

* * *

><p>Dr. Cathka walked Zuko to one of the larger and more isolated inmate cells. He unlocked the door, nodded respectfully at the Fire Lord, and left to attend his other duties.<p>

Zuko sighed, and opened the door.

It was then that he realized he was still in his Fire Lord attire, complete with his crown. A mistake he was about to regret.

Azula looked up from her sulking, crossed-arm position at the far end of table placed by the wall of her cell. She was dressed in a brown-orange robe and slippers, the standard clothing provided for the asylum's inmates. She looked relatively healthy, and definitely better than right after the Agni Kai, but she still seemed sleep-deprived and askew. Her hair was messily tied up in a bun, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. She glared at Zuko and barred her teeth.

"Azula," Zuko quipped tersely.

"You!" she snarled. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you," replied the Fire Lord coldly.

"Get out of my sight!" yelled Azula. She jumped up, and started to rush at Zuko with a ball of blue fire in her hands. "If you don't leave right now, I'll-"

Zuko formed a ball of fire in his own hands and stood ready to strike. "You _really_ want to do this Azula? The guards and I will be all over you in seconds," he warned.

"You'll have to do better than that, Zuzu!" sneered Azula. "I'm not afraid of that by a long shot!"

"You won't be so smug if I have you stripped of your firebending!" shot back Zuko with a piercing glare.

Azula stumbled back. "W-what? You're bluffing!" she sputtered.

"Am I?" asked Zuko threateningly. "How do you think the Avatar defeated Father without killing him?" His face steadily turned into a smirk. "Or did you not hear?"

Azula's expression turned to pure horror. "No, you wouldn't dare-"

"Oh, I would," growled Zuko. "If I catch you acting up or hear about you causing any trouble at all for the people here, I'll summon Aang here in seconds, and then in less than a minute you can kiss your fire abilities goodbye! Do I make myself clear?"

Azula froze in silence for a full minute. Then she snorted in annoyance. "Fine, Zuzu," she muttered.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that's a proper reply. Want to try that again?" asked Zuko snidely. He shot her another smirk.

Azula turned red with fury. "You make yourself clear, Fire Lord Zuko. I will not act up," she snarled.

"That's much better," said Zuko with a condescending smile. He turned to leave. "I'll be back later. Looking forward to talking to you!" he called laughingly over his shoulder. Azula growled furiously and loudly in response.

* * *

><p><em>Well, that went better than I thought…<em>

Zuko smiled to himself as he returned to the palace. His first time seeing Azula had been rather hostile, but that was to be expected, and it actually was a lot smoother than he had dreaded. He now had at least a somewhat better chance to get her to talk. Of course, she didn't realize he only had half a card up his sleeve: Aang would probably be strongly opposed to stripping someone as pathetic as Azula of her firebending, and her only remaining dignity, but she didn't need to know that.

All that was important was that Zuko was making progress.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Zuko returned home, he quickly changed into more causal clothes. It was the end of a long week: time to spend a night with Mai. As he walked in quiet excitement and happiness to the home of his beloved, he suddenly remembered something and looked down at his shirt and robes.

_Better remember this type of style for Azula_, he paused briefly to remind himself.

Shortly afterwards, he was standing in Mai's doorway, grinning at her. Mai's usual bored expression morphed into a playful smile, and she walked slowly backwards toward her couch. Within seconds, he swept her into his arms, pulled her onto the soft cushions, and began making sweet, sweet love…

* * *

><p>Throughout the entire next month of November, Zuko visited Azula on a weekly basis. No matter how busy or hectic his day had been, he always remembered to dress in his signature short-sleeved red garment and his black, hooded cloak before going to the asylum. He also kept his shaggy hair down, to further cover his huge scar.<p>

There were several reasons for this. First, this attire was a great way to avoid unnecessary attention, or more accurately, _unwanted_ attention. He had been extremely lucky the first time that so almost nobody happened to be near the ferry docks. He didn't need random citizens (or worse, Fire Nation officials) giving him crap about visiting his sister and annoying the hell out of him with stupid questions like "How crazy is she?" or "Are you gonna keep her in there forever?" or "Isn't she too dangerous to be kept alive?"

Second, Azula would be at least a little less hostile if he didn't insult her by dressing up as royalty before her, further reminding her of her downfall. He didn't care that Azula, following in Ozai's footsteps, would not have shown him the same respect; he was not her. Finally, Zuko just plain _preferred_ modesty. He had developed a liking and respect for it after his experiences in the Earth Kingdom, and he was only brought further down to earth after making friends with the Gaang.

His instincts proved true. Azula was always at least slightly more receptive than she had been the first time. She was, however, still a really tough cookie, to put it mildly. All of Zuko's conversations with her were relatively brief. She would only ask him a few random questions about running the Fire Nation. He would give quick answers, and then continually press her, trying to inquire about her past outbursts and apparent nightmares. She would only glare or change the subject to trivial matters, such as what she ate, how well she slept, and what annoyed her about the staff. All the while, Zuko could not help but notice a subtle increase in Azula's irritation at his presence and questions.

The tide turned when December rolled along. At the end of the first week, Zuko was prepared to see his sister in the late afternoon, as per usual. As he was finishing getting dressed for the routine, there was a sudden knock on his bedroom door. He opened it to find one of his servants holding out a scroll to him.

"It's a message from a group of your scouts, my lord. We just received it from a hawk a few minutes ago," explained the servant.

"Thank you," said Zuko, taking the scroll. The servant bowed and departed.

Zuko quickly unfurled the letter. It read:

_My Lord, _

_I hope this letter has not arrived at too inconvenient a time. My men and I have worked tirelessly to find any clues at all regarding Lady Ursa, your dear mother, and a lovely woman indeed, if I may say so._

_It is with great displeasure and pain that I must inform you that we have good news leading to very bad news. Lady Ursa has been pinpointed to an extremely remote part of the Earth Kingdom, in the far northeast corner. Unfortunately, that is all the data we have on her. _

_Additionally, this area is not only physically challenging because of its mountains and valleys, but also very hostile. The villages here have evidently been fractured off from most of the rest of the Earth Kingdom for quite some time. Worse still, the small amount of men whom I sent into some of the villages there barely came back alive. They report that these villages are under brutal domination by utter scumbags. The "leaders" of these villages are vicious, sadistic, and power-hungry thugs and earthbenders who regularly bully their populations and treat them like slaves. Furthermore, they are extremely hostile to any outsiders, especially those from the Fire Nation, and will not hesitate to make use of their people as human shields. _

_I am at a loss as to how to proceed, my Lord. If I take any action, I risk a huge bloodbath. I cannot do more without informing you, especially considering that Lady Ursa may be… lost if anything goes wrong. My men and I are stationed at the very border of the aforementioned corner, awaiting your reply._

_Yours Truly, _

_Captain Loftus_

_Scouting Division Seven_

Zuko froze. He fell onto his bed in silent but deep despair.

How would he get his poor mother out of there? How did she end up trapped by those… savages? Was she even alive?

He lost track of time as he held his face in his hands. Eventually, he got a hold of himself and wrote a reply:

_Captain Loftus,_

_ I realize this is difficult, but I want you to do everything you can. Do not enter that area, but continue scouting to the best of your ability. Make as much use of the Fire Nation's air superiority and contacts in the Earth Kingdom as possible. I will not let this dilemma stop me from bringing my mother home! _

_-Fire Lord Zuko_

Zuko folded up his response letter and rushed to one of his servants. He looked on as the man quickly sent off the letter via hawk, and set off to the asylum.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I must have been brooding for a while…_

Night was falling by the time Zuko arrived outside his sister's cell. Though surprised, Dr. Cathka had not given any objections to his usually late visit. Azula, though, would not be so lenient. Zuko sighed in slight worry as he walked into the cell.

What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks, his eyes locked in gaze.

Azula was in her standard brown-orange robes, sitting on her mattress and ready to go to sleep. It was when she looked up that he was caught severely off guard.

Her tousled, oily hair was completely down. When it framed her face and body like that…

_My god, she looks just like Mother,_ thought Zuko. Granted, the resemblance was distorted by Azula's glare, and right now she looked much less beautiful than Ursa, but it still was incredibly striking. Sadly, Zuko _really_ didn't need the reminder right now. He choked back tears and tried hard to keep a straight face.

Unfortunately, his efforts were not completely successful; a very sad frown slipped out.

Azula was quick to call him out. "What are you staring at, dumb-dumb?" she snapped. "Here to cry to me because you had a bad day?"

Her glare intensified. "And why are you so late? I'm about to go to bed!" she added snottily.

Zuko's face stiffened and he glared back. "I have duties, Azula. Today they took longer than usual." He pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

Azula rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It doesn't change the fact that I know you're playing a game with me." Her glare intensified even further, quiet rage glowing like flames in her eyes. "And I'm getting _very_ tired of it."

Zuko shook a bit at her appearance but he was much more annoyed than afraid. "What are you talking about?" he asked, throwing his hands out in a puzzled gesture.

"Don't play stupid, Zuzu," growled Azula. She strolled over to the table and sat opposite him. "You keep coming here to keep up your act of a concerned brother, looking after his little sister." She threw him a very sadistic smirk. "You keep me around as your trophy. You're too cowardly to kill me, and you never will, because I'm too much a part of you," she sneered.

Zuko looked down for a few seconds.

_She's right… in a way._

Then he looked back up with a serious expression. "No," he said determinedly. "You're right. I won't kill you, because I'm not you. If I had you executed or left to rot, I'd be as bad as you. You believe in only keeping people around as long as you can manipulate or dominate them. I believe in standing by people so I can help them." He smiled confidently. "That's the difference between us."

Azula's smirk melted into another glare. "Liar!" she snarled. "You just preach self-righteousness so you can make yourself feel better and get people to like you. Deep down, you're just a coward and a traitor." Her voice filled with bitterness and disgust. "You betrayed me… you betrayed Father… you betrayed your entire country, just like your uncle Fatso!"

Zuko slammed his fist on the table. "I didn't betray anyone from home!" he shouted. "I had nothing here! Nobody here cared about me! The person I _did _betray was Iroh! I realized my mistake, and I joined the Avatar because I realized Uncle was the one who truly loved me and that he was right: serving the Fire Nation was wrong!"

"Nobody cared about you?" snorted Azula. "Maybe if you stopped being such a pathetic, angry whiner, you would have noticed that you had a father who thought you were a hero. You had a girlfriend who loved you. And," she added with venomous sly "a sister who made all that possible."

"Bullshit!" yelled Zuko as he slammed the table with both his hands and bolted out of his chair. "You had nothing to do with that! You were manipulating me from the moment you convinced me to help you at Basing Se! Everything you did was a trick to make me your pawn! Mai fell in love with me because she already had feelings for me for a long time, and Father only thought I was a hero because you made me the fall guy for taking down the Avatar when he was still alive!"

"Whose fault is that, Zuzu?" asked Azula sneeringly. "You lied to me first; you knew the Avatar was still alive and you kept that from me. I just made sure that if you were lying, you would get what you deserved. Other than that, I looked out for you."

"Stop lying!" snapped Zuko. "You did not!"

Azula stopped sneering and glared. "Am I?" she retorted angrily. "I could have busted you for your countless visits to Uncle while he was in prison, but I didn't. I could have easily disposed of you after you helped me, but I didn't. It's because of me that you were accepted back into a life of luxury and comfort, and you repaid me by betraying me, and then causing Mai, Ty Lee, and everyone else to turn on me!"

Zuko sat back down and crossed his arms. "First of all," he began with extreme irritation, "those are pretty weak signs of "looking out" for me. Second, I didn't want that life deep down; I finally realized how false a reward it was. Third, you can't blame me for something you brought upon yourself." He leaned forward and glared. "That's what you get for building your entire life on manipulating and scaring people."

It was Azula's turn to jump up from the table. "SHUT UP!" she screamed. "Don't you dare lecture me like that! Especially since you ruined my life!"

Zuko mouth dropped in angry dismay. "What?" he flubbed out, completely at a loss for words. "How… the… fuck… did _I _ruin _your _life? You were better than me at everything! You had Father's love, you were a firebending prodigy, and your accomplishments always got attention while mine got none! Plus, I never did anything bad to you in my entire life! What could you possibly have as a reason to resent _me_?"

Azula crossed her arms and looked away huffily. "You took Mother from me…" she muttered accusingly.

Zuko sighed heavily; this was far from the first time he had heard that type of talk from her. "Azula, I didn't take Mother from you. She was just looking out for me because she was worried about me." He looked down sadly. "I needed her so badly..."

"Oh, and I didn't?" snapped Azula. "She never cared for me even close to the way she did for you!"

Zuko glared. "Azula, Mother is the only person in my life who's ever loved me unconditionally besides Uncle. You made my life hell, and Father not only hated me, but he was ready to murder me for the throne!" He put his hands on the table and stared intensely at his sister. "She got herself banished protecting me; I would be dead if it wasn't for her!"

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Besides, even if she did favor me, what's the big deal? You had Father."

"It's not the same!" snarled Azula. She looked away.

Zuko couldn't tell if she was angry or sad. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Azula remained staring away from him. "Father didn't love me," she mumbled, a trace of sad and pained resignation in her voice.

Zuko was stunned. He knew his father was a horrible person, but he had always believed Ozai had loved Azula with all his heart, and that was why Azula had grown up to be so much like him. Had he been wrong this whole time…?

"How did you figure that?" he asked Azula.

Azula waited for a few seconds before responding. "He wouldn't let me come with him to burn down the Earth Kingdom," she answered. She slammed her fist on the table "It was my idea!" she moaned. "He stuck me as Firelord while he became the Phoenix King!"

Zuko sat bewildered "He needed you to guard the palace Azula. What's the big deal?" He tried not to sound too mean, but he did feel Azula was acting rather spoiled.

"You don't understand!" snapped Azula. She turned away in a huff.

"What don't I understand?" asked Zuko rather impatiently.

Azula didn't answer. She just stared off to the side.

Zuko sighed. "Ok, ok. We can talk about that later. I guess I should let you know that I'm searching for Mother as we speak. So maybe-"

Azula whipped back around to face him. "What?"

Zuko did not like the look on her face. It was lit up with volatile hostility.

He swallowed. "I've found out that Mother might be in a hostile area of the Earth Kingdom. If it would make you feel better, when I find her, I'll bring her here-"

"If you bring her here, I'll kill her myself!" snarled Azula.

Zuko reeled back in horror. "What?" he gasped.

Azula smiled maliciously at her brother's horrified reaction. "I hate that woman. I hope you don't find her. And if you find her, I hope she's dead."

Zuko felt his mouth drop. "What did you just say?" he asked, outraged.

Azula gave a wide, psychotic grin. She looked like a gleeful serial killer. "Allow me to repeat myself," she began softly.

Zuko gulped.

"I… HOPE… SHE'S… **DEAD!**" screamed Azula, her voice and face a mixture of homicidal rage and triumph. Her eyes glowed with death.

Zuko shook like a ship lost at sea in the middle of a storm. "**W-W-WHY?" **he screamed back. "AZULA, SHE'S OUR MOTHER!" He looked around, stuttering and trying hard to fight back tears. "We- we need her! I- I need her..."

"Aw, poor baby Zuzu misses his mommy," sneered Azula. She began to laugh manically. "No matter what, you're still just that pathetic, scared little mama's boy," she taunted.

Zuko felt his face going red with rage. "Mother was right… YOU ARE A MONSTER!" he roared, choking back more tears.

Azula laughed harder.

Zuko leaped up and slammed his hands on the table. "YOU'RE A PSYCHOPATH!"

Azula laughed even harder.

"YOU'RE A SICK, TWISTED FUCK!"

Azula practically screamed with maniacal laughter.

"**GRRR-AAAARGH!**" bellowed Zuko in agony. He stomped toward the door. He had to get out of here… now!

"Leaving already?" sneered Azula, her laughter slowly yet steadily calming down. "Hope you don't cry to much at the sight of Mommy's corpse, little baby Zuzu!"

Zuko stopped short as his hand reached the door handle.

_That's it…_

He turned to Azula and glared hard at her. She just smirked.

"I don't know what exactly Mother said about you or did to you," he growled. His voice dripped with utter disgust and loathing for his twisted, sadistic sister. "But I'll tell you one thing: I am so proud of her."

Azula smirked harder. "I wonder why that could be," she sneered.

Zuko's voice turned ice cold with contempt. "Because she recognized the biggest mistake of her life: giving birth to you."

Azula's smirk vanished. She raised her eyebrows.

Was she stunned? Hurt, perhaps?

Zuko couldn't have cared less. "Yes, Mother realized she had given life to a complete monster, an abomination," he continued, seething with fury. "She recognized you as the insane, power-hungry killer you were right as you were born. That is why she never loved you."

Azula's barred her teeth, her face an intense stare of death. It completely bounced off Zuko, though, who shot back with an even more intense death glare of his own.

"I am really glad she didn't waste her time with you." Zuko was practically spitting at this point. "She was totally right in what she did. You know why?"

He leaned forward.

"Because no decent person in their right mind would ever love you!" he snarled.

No sooner had he finished that statement than was Azula leaping at him, roaring with rage. She slammed him into the wall and punched him hard in the face.

Zuko grabbed her arm, but she quickly shot up her other one and scratched his check. As he yelped and reeled back in pain, she broke free her arm, a ball of fire glowing in her hands.

As she moved in for a burn, Zuko smashed his forehead into her face. Azula yelled in pain as Zuko grabbed her at the wrists violently shoved her against the wall.

They barely heard the cell door opening behind them. Dr. Cathka rushed in with two guards.

"Fire Lord Zuko, is-"

The doctor and the guards immediately found themselves receiving the two most murderous glares they would probably ever see in their lives. Like brother, like sister.

"**GET OUT OF HERE!**" roared the siblings.

The three men shook in terror, and what looked like dark spots formed between their likes. All rushed out and shut the door behind them.

Zuko and Azula struggled for another few minutes, growling and snapping at each other like animals. Finally, Zuko shoved himself away from his sister, and started wiping blood from his mouth, where she had punched him.

Azula grabbed her nose and lip, which were oozing blood as well.

"Get the fuck out of my cell!" she snarled, and thrust her finger toward the door. "I never want to see you again!"

"I will arrange that with pleasure!" snarled Zuko back. He stormed toward the door and yanked it open. "You will rot here until you die like the piece of shit you are!"

"GO TO HELL!" screamed Azula.

"I WILL!" bellowed Zuko over his shoulder as he rammed the door shut. "And I'll save you a spot right next to me!"

Zuko stomped down the hall to the exit. Dr. Cathka and the guards nervously approached him.

Zuko held up his hand. "You can continue caring for her," he stated coldly. "But I don't want to hear a peep about it."

Dr. Cathka nodded shakily as the Fire Lord left the asylum, slamming the entrance door in the process.

* * *

><p><em>Stupid, spoiled brat. Why should I make myself suffer for the sake of that psychopath?<em>

Zuko stared out into the dark night as he made his way back to the mainland on the ferry.

He was not going to bother with Azula anymore. She was insane, beyond help.

And it was not his fault things had gone so bad; it was hers, because she was so messed up.

He was certain of it.

So why did he feel tears welling up in his eyes?

Zuko looked down, and them let drop in silence…

* * *

><p><em>He's no brother. He's just a traitor, hypocrite, and glory-hunter.<em>

Azula sat down angrily on her bed. She could not fall asleep.

"_Azula?"_

Azula turned, none too surprised. It was that "woman" again.

"Leave me alone, Mother," she muttered.

"_Why did you turn him away like that? He's trying to help you…"_

"Shut up! No he isn't!" she snapped. "He's just out to make me suffer…"

"_You know that's not true," whispered Ursa softly._

Azula's looked down at the floor. Her lip began to tremble.

"Go away," she muttered as her voice cracked.

In seconds, she was all alone. Again. She had better get used to it…

Azula plunged her face into her palms and cried.


End file.
